Scars in the Making
by Tocuba
Summary: My first fanfic. This story tells the origins of a Scarface and the Ventriloquist, a villain that I think should get more attention. It might also go into his first encounter with Batman. Please review, I could use some feedback.
1. Chapter 1

Arnold Wesker, who went on to be a feared crime lord in Gotham, started off as a timid child. He spent a large part of his childhood as a spineless little kid who let everyone walk all over him. Arnold couldn't find the nerve to retaliate, especially since he was raised in a home of the most nurturing parents he could ask for. But hidden beneath those frightened little eyes were fantasies of retaliation and violence. No one saw any danger in Arnold until the day he went for something he wanted.

Arnold was thirteen at the time. He started the day with excitement as he was finally planning to ask a girl to the school dance. When lunch ended, Arnold found Natalie Palmer as she was walking to class with her friends. He approached her while trying to ignore the look of disgust that one of her friends gave him.

"He-hey Natalie."

"Hey Arny," Natalie replied apathetically.

"So the dance is next week, and, uh, do you want to go with me?"

Natalie and her friends paused for a second before they busted out laughing.

"Sorry Arny, I'm going with someone who doesn't cry in class once a week." They then walked away to avoid Arnold's reaction as Arnold tried to hold back tears.

Fifteen minutes later, Arnold walked out of a bathroom stall in the boy's bathroom. Two other boys noticed him, Ron and Jerry. Arnold was still crying as he was holding a knife with both wrists covered in scars. The boys chuckled.

"Hey, it's emo Arnold," said Ron tauntingly. "Seriously, when are you not crying?"

"Please, s-stop," Arnold replied.

"I think he's sad that his mommy didn't get him that new knife for his birthday," Jerry said. "Don't worry, someday you'll cut yourself with a big-boy knife."

"Stop!"

"Why?" Asked Jerry, "We're just wondering why you're such a little bitch.

Arnold advanced towards the boys.

"I SAID STOP!"

"You know," said Ron, "If you start cutting your face off instead, maybe you won't be so ugly."

Arnold paused for less than a second, but for what he remembered as much longer. Then he lunged at Ron and stabbed him in the stomach. Before Jerry could react, Arnold kicked him in the groin and then slit his throat. He repeated the same motion until he was sure Jerry was dead. He went back to Ron and continued to stab his face until Ron was dead. Then it fully hit Arnold what he just did, and he fainted only to wake up at the police department.


	2. Chapter 2

Arnold Wesker has been imprisoned for almost twelve years. His sentence carried a minimum of fifteen years, but as soon as Wesker turned twenty-five, he had to be moved from a juvenile detention center to Arkham Asylum. After only a week, he learned how much worse incarceration could get. As part of the transfer procedure, Wesker had to have a session with the criminal psychologist.

"So Arnold, let's start from the beginning," began Dr. Quinzel.

"You mean when I was first put in prison or before that, Dr. Quinzel?" Arnold Wesker asked.

"Whenever you feel you started on the path that led you here. And please, call me Harleen." Arnold paused for a bit.

"I'm sorry Harleen. I don't know exactly when it started. I was timid as a child and I never really changed. I couldn't stand up for myself."

"Was there something going on in your home life that may have led you to be timid?" Harleen asked.

"I guess…I guess that my parents raised me like that. They told me to always do what I was told and never retaliate."

Harleen paused to write notes on her clipboard.

"Hmm…so then you just woke up one day and decided that you were going to stab two kids to death?"

"Oh no!" Arnold repulsively exclaimed. "I woke up that day happier than I've been in a long time. You see, I was going to ask a girl to a dance, but she rudely rejected me. I felt…trapped. I needed to cut myself. But then two boys saw me. They kept taunting me and I begged them to stop." Arnold became tense as he started to raise his voice. "They wouldn't stop. I felt like there was nothing I could do to make them stop. Then I kept hearing voices in my head. My mom would say 'just walk away when you feel angry.' I hear that every single time I wanna hurt someone. But I couldn't take it I anymore. I couldn't! IT HAD TO STOP!"

"Okay, okay Arnold," Harleen said in a calm soothing voice. "Take a deep breath." Arnold took the deep breath. Arnold began to cry.

"I'm *sniff* sorry."

"Don't be sorry. It's good that you're letting this out. You need to release these feelings. So if you don't mind, can we back up? I want to ask about your parents." Arnold remained silent and just nodded. "How did they react to this incident?"

Arnold paused for half a minute. "They tried to be th-there for me at first. *sniff* But they just stopped visiting. I haven't seen them in - *sniff* in over eight years!"

Arnold broke down and sobbed heavily. Harleen put her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry Arnold. I really am. Abandonment is one of the hardest pains to deal with." Arnold calmed down and looked Harleen in the eye. Harleen paused and then took a breath.

"I see how isolated and lonesome you feel. If you ever want to talk again, I'll be there for you. Just tell the guard and he'll contact me on your behalf."

Arnold paused in shock before he responded.

"Are-are you sure?" Arnold asked.

"Yes Arnold; I'm happy to help."

"I don't want to bother you. Do you let all your clients do this?"

"Oh God no! Some of these guys haven't seen a woman in years. I couldn't let all of them contact me whenever they want. But you're not bothering me. I like you."

"Oh thank you! I'm so grateful."

"You're so welcome. I'm going to cheer you up. I love to put smiles on faces."

When Arnold got back to his cell, he sat down with the most joy that he's had since he was free. But his joy was short-lived as only a couple minutes later, he heard his best friend, Paul, talk to him, someone he's talked to everyday for most of his prison term. No one else could see or hear Paul, but he was more real to Arnold than anyone else ever was.

"Hey, Dummy!" Paul said. "How dare you take credit for my kill? You couldn't kill a Goddamn flower!"

"I'm sorry Paul," Arnold responded. "But she wouldn't believe that you exist. Everyone believes that I killed those kids."

"Oh for God's sake! What's it gonna take to show these idiots that I'm real? I need to be seen!"

"I don't know what to do about that."

"Find me a body," Paul demanded. "They I can be seen by these assholes."

"What kind of body?"

"I dunno, like a piece of wood or something." Arnold thought about ideas and then responded.

"Well, there was a puppet at Dr. Quinzel's office. But…"

"Perfect. Get me that puppet. I will be that puppet."


	3. Chapter 3

Arnold has been in Arkham Asylum for another seven years. Over these years, he has developed a strong connection to Harley as they met almost every week. It helped that he was able to obtain the puppet from her office and keep it as an outlet for his other self. One day, Arnold went to visit Harley for another meeting.

"Good morning Arnold," Harley greeted.

"Good morning Harley!" Arnold said with a smile.

"Ooh, someone's in a good mood today. That's what I like to see."

"Well, I got good news."

"Let's hear it!"

Arnold paused for a moment. He had a hard time getting the right words out to describe the news.

"I-I am getting released!" Harley paused for a moment in sudden disbelief.

"Oh my God!" Harley shouted as she gave Arnold a hug. "I'm so proud of you! I knew we were making progress. You were getting so much better each day; all our work paid off."

"Yes, thank you. I really mean it. Thank you so much for all your help. I couldn't have turned myself around without you." Harley blushed.

"You did it all yourself. My support was only a small part of it. But now my work is done."

Harley a paused for another moment and started to contemplate the situation while developing a small frown on her face.

"So, this is it, huh?" Harley asked. "I'm not gonna see you again."

"Yeah, about that," Arnold responded, "I wanted to ask you something. After I get released, I was wondering if I could take you on a date."

Harley took a longer pause as her frown grew more apparent.

"I'm sorry Arnold, but I can't. I'm in love with someone else."

"Oh, I see."

Arnold tried to hold back tears. He got up and walked away while there was still fifty minutes left in their session. Harley didn't try to stop him. However, when Arnold's hand was at the doorknob, he turned around to face Harley.

"Who? Who are you in love with?"

"Well, let's just say he makes me smile," Harley answered in a more cheerful tone.

Arnold turned around and continued to walk away. As he was walking, he heard Paul's voice again telling him that Harley was nothing more than a "trashy whore."

A month later, Arnold was released from prison. He was 32 years old at the time. Arkham Asylum would pay for one cab ride for Arnold to go to his destination. Arnold told the cab driver the address of his old home so he could go there and give his parents a surprise visit.

Even as he was being driven away from incarceration, Arnold couldn't stop thinking about Harley. He hasn't seen her since she rejected him and his other self only made him feel worse about it. However, once Arnold arrived at this parent's house, he managed to conjure up a spark of optimism as he was about to see his parents for the first time in fifteen years.

Arnold went up to the doorstep with his bags and rang the doorbell. His father answered the door.

"Hi sir. Can I help you?" his father greeted.

"Dad, it's me, Arnold. I just got released from prison and I wanted to surprise you." Just as Arnold said that, his mother came downstairs and heard the shocking news. Both parents stayed silent out of pure shock.

"Oh, hi Arnold," the mother said nervously.

A sixteen year old boy walked behind Arnold's parents and saw him.

"Hey, Mom, Dad," the boy said, "I'm heading out to meet up with Brandi."

"Okay, have fun," the mom said. Arnold stared in horror before he could bring out words.

"You-you have another son?"

"Yes Arnold," his mom responded. "I'm sorry that you had to find out. We couldn't bear the burden of this incident anymore. We had to move on."

"So you replaced me? I was just a faulty product and you got a new one?"

"Arnold, you were in prison for years," his father said. "We couldn't raise you to be the son we wanted while you were in jail. We had to find a way keep our lives going and stop letting your decisions burden us."

"I'm a Burden to you? You abandoned your own son just like that! You haven't visited me in over fifteen years and when you did, you looked at me like I was a monster."

"Arnold, settle down," his father said.

"NO! I have no one now. Go to hell!"

Arnold walked away from the house until Paul's voice reappeared in his head.

"Are you just gonna let them do that to you?" Paul asked. "C'mon, grow a spine. Don't just tell them to go to hell; send them there!"

"I did enough," Arnold replied. "I never gave them that attitude before."

"Fine. If you're not going to grow a spine, then I'll do it for you."

Arnold paused for a moment, and then he felt himself lose control. For that moment, he wasn't Arnold Wesker, he was his other self. Arnold opened his bag and pulled the puppet out. He had him ready and then used his ventriloquism to make the puppet talk as his other self. He waited until he saw his brother drive away.

"Alright, let's get this over with," Paul commanded through the puppet.

Arnold walked to the door while holding Paul up. He knocked loudly. After less than five seconds, his father opened the door.

"Arnold, I…" Arnold interrupted his father as he punched him in the face. He then walked into the house to find his mother running down the stairs. She saw her husband lying on the ground and Arnold walking towards the kitchen.

"Arnold!" she fearfully screamed. "What happened?"

"I'm home mom," Arnold calmly said in the deeper and gruffer voice he used for Paul.

Arnold continued towards the kitchen as his mother ran to his father. She touched his face to wake him up. When he woke up, he initially wondered what just happened. Before Arnold's mother or father had the chance to say anything, Arnold charged up behind his mother and stabbed her in the back. Then as she fell to the ground, he slit her throat.

Arnold looked mostly apathetic in his face. The only noticeable expression he had was urgency. Arnold's father then tackled him to get the knife away. While the two were fighting over the knife, Arnold still held the puppet in the middle. During the struggle, the knife managed to cut over the puppet's left cheek. Arnold then got ahold of the knife and stabbed his father in the belly. His father fell over as Arnold stood up with the puppet.

"A – Arnold," his father muttered, "we still love you."

"There's only one person who loves me now," Arnold replied. He then slit his father's throat and walked out of the house.


	4. Chapter 4

Arnold searched the house for the money, weapons, clothes, and the key to his parents' car. During the search, Paul began to scold Arnold.

"Look at my face!" Paul screamed. "Ah, it hurts like hell."

"I'm sorry Paul," Arnold responded.

"Sorry ain't gonna heal this cut on my face! Your stupidity did this to me and I don't think it's gonna go away."

"Paul, please stop talking."

"What did you say? WHAT DID YOU SAY? You have no right to tell me when to stop talking. I own you! Don't you ever forget that!"

"YOU JUST KILLED MY PARENTS!" Arnold screamed out loud. "They think I did it, but I had no control. Look at what happened! They were the only ones I had left and you took them away from me! They loved me." Paul paused for a moment.

"Dummy, you never had them. They were holding you back and making you the wus you are now. They just replaced you after deciding you weren't good enough. You call that love? They hated you! Now I'm going to give you one chance to apologize for talking back to me."

Arnold paused for a longer time. Then he broke down in tears as the full weight of what just happened hit him like a truck.

"I-I'm sorry!" Arnold cried. "I'm so sorry."

"Well you could have done without the tears," Paul said, "but it's a start."

After Arnold found enough money, the car keys, and a gun with backup ammunition, he drove away in his parents' car. He then went to a grocery store to buy himself food. After paying for the food, he realized that the money he took wasn't nearly enough to last him for more than a couple days. Arnold knew he couldn't return to the scene of the crime, so he decided that he had to steal the money.

After leaving the grocery store, Arnold drove to a Jewelry store. It was already midnight, so there weren't many people around and most stores were closed. But this store was open for a long time this night. Arnold got out of the car and hid his gun in his coat pocket as he walked into the store. No one else was inside except the store owner looking bored at his current job.

"Hello sir," the owner said with a smile rapidly and artificially entering his face, "how may I help you." Arnold approached him.

"Hello Bill," Arnold said quietly seeing the owner's nametag. "I would like all of the money in your cash register." Arnold then pulled out his gun and pointed it at Bill.

"Aw shucks," Bill said, "Usually when my store gets robbed, at least it's by a sexy cat burglar in a dominatrix suit."

He opened the cash register and pulled out the money at a slow pace to which Arnold didn't seem to mind.

"I'm sorry that I have to do this," Arnold said, "but I literally have less than twenty dollars total at the moment."

"I understand," Bill said. "Guy's gotta make a living."

Just as Bill said that, Arnold then got hit with a sudden and unexpected jolt to his head.

Later, Arnold woke up tied to a chair. He immediately wondered what just happened, only to recall the robbery without knowing why he fell unconscious and ended up being held captive. He then noticed three guys with their backs turned toward him in the large office he was being held in.

"Wh-where's Paul?" Arnold asked loudly. The guards turned around.

"Oh you mean that Scarface puppet?" one of the guards responded.

"Dummy, help me!" Paul shouted in a scream that only Arnold could hear.


	5. Chapter 5

"How did I get in here?" Arnold asked the guards with the fear visible in his voice.

"You picked the wrong place to rob," a guard responded. "The boss had control of that store. Next time try robbing the 99 cents store."

"I'm sorry," Arnold said. "I'm in a desperate situation."

"And how do you think they ended up working for me?" asked an odd voice from behind Arnold.

"Who's that?" Arnold quickly responded. Then a short and portly man with a long nose and a large umbrella walked in front of Arnold.

"I'm the Penguin," he said, "and you made the unfortunate mistake of robbing my new Jewelry store." He then aimed his umbrella at Arnold's head. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't blow your brains out and get back to my busy day."

At that moment, Arnold realized two things. The first was that the Umbrella was really a gun in disguise that may or may not still function as an umbrella. The second thing was that this man was Oswald Cobblepot and he knew him.

"Oswald," Arnold said. "It's Arnold Wesker. We were acquainted in Arkham Asylum. I'm Arnold. Do you remember me?" The Penguin paused for a brief moment.

"Oh yes," the Penguin said. "Little Arnie, I remember you."

"I…I want join your gang."

"And what qualifies you to join the gang of henchmen in this room over the gang of corpses in the next room?" Oswald asked as he pointed to a door.

"Because, I have nothing to lose," Arnold stated. "I was just released from the asylum. I killed my parents and I don't have a cent to my name. I'm not working for anyone else."

"So you got a mad at mommy and daddy and put bullets in their brains? If I had the chance to kill my parents, I would make them suffer first." Oswald leaned closer toward Arnold's face. "Is this all true? What you did to your parents?"

Arnold starred at Oswald, horrified at what he just said.

"It is," Arnold murmured.

"Hmm. This guy's got guts. I guess you're not the little wimp we thought you were after all."

"This is your chance dummy," Paul said to Arnold. "Once he lets his guard down, you shove that umbrella up that fat bastard's ass and pull the trigger once he's done begging." Arnold tried to ignore Paul.

"Okay Mr. Wesker, I'll give you a job," Oswald said. He then moved in closer to Arnold and got an intense look on his face. "But you do exactly what I say. Nothing more and nothing less. If I even think you're going to do something that would inconvenience me, I cut you up the way I would've cut up mama and papa Cobblepot!"

Two years have passed and Arnold has been slowly climbing up the ranks of Penguin's henchmen. One night, Arnold and some of the Penguin's other thugs went to an abandoned building to make a trade with a different gang. When Arnold and his gang arrived, he stepped out of their truck with two henchmen to guard him. They were met with only one man from the other gang.

"Good evening," greeted the other man. "I assume you're the Penguin's right hand man, Mr. Wesker." He then looked at the puppet that Arnold was holding. "And this must be Scarface."

"Skip the formal garbage," Arnold demanded, speaking through Scarface. "Where's your boss?"

"Like the Penguin, my boss couldn't make it to this meeting. So instead, his right-hand woman will represent him."

Right then, a woman in clown make-up stepped out of the other gang's van. As she walked out playfully, she made eye-contact with Arnold, and the whole vibe of the moment completely changed. Arnold lost the calm and collected impression that he was trying to give. He never thought he would see this woman ever again.

"Harley?"


	6. Chapter 6

Before Arnold could breathe another word Harley charged toward him and gave him a crushing hug.

"Oh Arny, it's so good to see you!" Harley shouted. "You look so handsome."

Arnold stood there frozen and trying to process the situation. The henchmen from both sides were also frozen, but with confusion instead.

"You-you are…the Joker's…girlfriend?" Arnold asked. Harley laughed.

"Yes-sir-ey! He's my pudin. And he's not as round as round as yours."

Arnold gave of a somewhat uncomfortable chuckle. "There is a difference between your boss and your boyfriend, Harley."

"You were one for details Arny. I loved that about you. How do you like working with the grown-ups?"

Arnold paused for much longer than he thought we would need to answer that question. He could hear Scarface telling him to end the conversation, which distracted him from forming an answer. He knew he was happier working for the Penguin than he was in prison, but did that mean he was actually happy? But after realizing that he paused for a bit too long, Scarface took over and answered for him through the puppet.

"He likes it fine lady!" Scarface stated. "Can we wrap this up?"

Arnold immediately spoke to offset Scarface's rude words. "I'm sorry, he can be somewhat impolite occasionally."

Harley busted out in uncontrollable laughter. When she was finally able to pull herself together, she said "So is this the friend you made at Arkham? Guess I wasn't very good at my job huh?"

"No, you were outstanding," Arnold said. "But it would be best if we wrap this up."

"You never rushed to wrap up our sessions. Maybe we should have another one for old time's sake." Harley pulled out a joker playing card with crayon writing on it. She handed it to Arnold. "Here. Call me. We have so much to catch up on."

"Indeed we do."

The two gangs finished the trade and then went their separate ways.

Once the gang got back to their base, Arnold went into his room with Scarface.

"Looks like that bitch is banging some guy crazier than you," Scarface said.

"Please don't talk about her that way. It's disrespectful."

"Eh I'm sure she's used to it anyway."

"But she was such a kind woman. She started off as a psychiatrist. How did she end up working with criminals?

"Who cares dummy? She held us back anyways."

Suddenly they heard someone banging on their door. Then they heard the Penguin's voice.

"Wesker, get your ass out of there before I shoot down this door!"

As soon Arnold started to open the door, the Penguin barged in and whacked Arnold in the face with his umbrella.

"How stupid can you possibly be? You didn't check what was inside the blasted box!"

"They told me they gave us the guns we wanted," Arnold said.

"What kind of idiot believes anything the Joker and his goons say?"

"I-I'm sorry boss. I…" The Penguin smacked Arnold in the face again with his umbrella.

"You're not sorry until this box of Barbie dolls magically turns into automatic rifles!"

The Penguin smacked Arnold with his umbrella for a third time.

"Hey asshole!" Scarface shouted. "Lay off the dummy! It's not his fault he got no brain. Do you just use that big umbrella to compensate for something?" The Penguin smacked Scarface out of Arnold's hand with his Umbrella.

"That's it! Get the hell out before I shoot you both in the face! And if I ever see you again, I will do just that you pieces of shit!"

Arnold slowly got up and picked up Scarface. He then picked up his wallet and phone and walked out the door. Once they left the building, Arnold immediately picked up his phone and called Harley.


	7. Chapter 7

"Hey-lo!"

Arnold paused for a moment. He wanted to pour his heart out to Harley, but he couldn't force the words out. He started to breathe heavily, in a way that led him to picture Scarface rolling his eyes.

"Hello?" Harley repeated. "I'm sorry I don't speak 'loud-breathing'. Maybe one of my hyena's can translate."

"No! Harley... it's me. It's…it's Arnold."

"Oh hey Arny! Guess I'm too much fun for you to resist huh?"

"Oh uh…yeah. I guess so."

"It sounds like you're in need of some cheering up. You want me to sing a happy song for you?"

"No. Look I…I was kicked out today and I have no place to stay and…"

Arnold stopped. He wanted to say that it was her fault for giving him a box with dolls instead of guns, but he couldn't bring himself to have even the slightest aggressive tone with her. He refused to let Scarface do it for him because he already ruined one friendship for him that night. Harley also paused, much to Arnold's surprise. He thought she would invite him to stay with her in a heartbeat.

"Soooo, you really have no place to stay at all tonight?"

Arnold felt a jolt of devastation jump through his heart. Just the subtle implication that Harley might not want Arnold to stay over hurt much more than any umbrella to the face could. He tried to fight back tears.

"I…don't." Arnold lost control and began to sob on the phone.

"Well then you gotta come stay with us!" Harley shouted with an abrupt change in tone. "I'll come pick you up right now. Where are you?"

Arnold paused again. He couldn't find the right words or even the right emotions for the overwhelming shock he was just given.

"Arnold I'll search all over Gotham for you if you want."

"No, I'll go to you. You're already doing wonders for me. Thank you so much."

"You sure? I don't mind getting you."

"Of course I'm sure. Where do you live?"

"It's in the abandoned warehouse behind the Ace Chemical Plant. Just knock on the front door and I'll be sure to let you in."

As Arnold walked to the warehouse, Scarface's questions added to his emotional turmoil.

"Well I'll be damned dummy," Scarface said. "You had a good idea for a change."

"Pardon?" Arnold asked in confusion.

"I always told you I wanted to leave the bird in the dust and start our own gang. But I didn't think of using Harley to steal from the Joker. You're growing a brain right there."

"But…that's not what I wanted to do. I just need a place to stay."

"You're kidding…"

"No Scarface. I just need a place to stay for now. When Penguin cools off, I'll apologize to him and he'll let me back into his gang."

Scarface let out an uncontrollable and extended laugh.

"Jesus dummy! That whack to the head must've made you even dumber. He'll shoot your face off before you even get a chance to kiss his ass."

"I don't agree. I…he just needs to cool off and we'll make it up to him. We'll steal something else from someone else to give to him and then he'll forget all about our mistake."

"So why are we going to stay with those clowns right now? You think Penguin's gonna be happy to hear we've been crashing there?"

Arnold failed to respond. He realized he was backed into a corner.

"Wait a minute dummy. You're lying to me! You just want to crash there so you can get in Harley's pants."

Arnold still couldn't respond, partly because he didn't know if he was lying or not. He couldn't decide if he had a plan with a glaring flaw or he had a lie with one. After finally forcing words out of his mouth, Arnold said "I'm sorry dummy. I was lying. But you had a good idea. We'll steal from them and start our own gang."

"Of course we will jackass!" Scarface commanded. "Now hurry up. I'm getting cold."

Arnold's emotional turmoil only worsened as he was overcome with guilt. He never could lie to Scarface and feel good about it.

Once they arrived at the warehouse, Arnold knocked on the door. Almost immediately, Harley quickly let them in.

"Th-thank you so much," Arnold said.

"Of course Arny!" Harley replied. "You know I love having you around. So what happened? How'd you piss off the boss this time?"

"Do you mind if we go inside first?"

Arnold and Harley walked into the warehouse and she led him to one of the smaller rooms. They both sat down on bench. Harley pulled out a clipboard with a pad of paper and a pen.

"Okay Arny," she began. "What's going on with you?"


	8. Chapter 8

"Sounds like he's compensating for something," Harley joked. Arnold just finished telling her why he was kicked out of the Penguin's gang.

"That's what this guy told him," Arnold said as he pointed at Scarface. He expected a laugh from Harley, but he didn't get it.

"Arny, you're just being silly right? I mean, about the puppet."

"Hey!" Scarface shouted. "Who you calling a puppet you plastic bi…" Arnold covered Scarface's mouth before he could continue.

"I'm terribly sorry. He has a temper."

"It's okay Arny. You know, I've got an idea. Back when I was a college girl, I learned a bunch about couple's counseling. Maybe I finally can put that stuff to use."

"How so?"

"Well, first I'm gonna need to talk to you alone." Harley looked at Scarface. "Handsome, would you do me a favor and leave the room for a moment?"

"If it means I ain't gotta hear your ear-piercing high voice, then fine."

Arnold carried Scarface out of the room, then walked back inside and closed the door. He slowly sat down as Harley grabbed an absurdly large hammer from a shelf.

"I never mentioned Freddy, did I?" Harley asked.

"No. Who is Freddy?"

"That's what I call my handy dandy hammer. I love this hammer and sometimes I like to pretend it has its own life, just like you and me. Sometimes you might even catch me having a chat with it. I would cry for hours if I lost Freddy and I can't say the same for the thugs Joker kills left and right. But I still know that Freddy is just an object. Freddy doesn't think, he doesn't feel, and he doesn't have life. It's fine to pretend he does; he can be a ton a fun to play with. But I always know that he is not a person."

"Harley, are you trying to tell me that Scarface is not a real person?"

"We're all crazy in our own ways. If you try to deny it, you'll end up a stick in the mud who doesn't know how to have fun. I love my insanity and Mista J loves his. But we're not blind to reality."

"I'm not blind to reality!" Arnold spurted out. "He is just as real as anyone else. He is my best friend. Without him, no one would stand up for me and I'd be pushed around my whole life."

"Without him you wouldn't have killed those boys and you wouldn't have ended up in Arkham. Maybe you would even be happy."

Arnold stopped himself from responding. He hadn't thought about where his life might have gone in a long time. He wouldn't dare blame Scarface, not even in his thoughts. Because Scarface would hear it and make Arnold pay for those thoughts.

"Arny, are you happy with how your life now? Can you honestly say that there is no part of you that wishes you didn't kill anyone?"

"I…" Arnold was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in," Harley shouted. A large man opened the door and peaked his head in.

"Uh, Harley," he said. "The boss wants to see you." Harley sighed.

"I'll be back in a bit. Don't miss me too much." Harley got up and walked out of the room.

Arnold stood there, frozen to a point where he could barely move his head. He thought about getting up to bring Scarface back in the room, but he was paralyzed with revelations. His whole past started flooding back in his head in a way that it hasn't ever before. He always saw his murder of the two boys as something inevitable – something he couldn't control. So for the first time, he contemplated whether he could have stopped himself and what his life would be like if he could. Maybe he would live a normal life away from crime. He would have a normal job, parents that still loved him, and possibly a family of his own. Or Scarface would show up later and this whole ordeal would just be delayed.

Once the thoughts began to ease out, Arnold looked at the clock and saw that an hour has already passed and Harley hasn't come back yet. Arnold got up and opened the door. His jaw dropped as he immediately saw Harley sitting on the ground against the wall sobbing. He noticed Scarface wasn't in the same spot where he was left, but Arnold ignored that thought and slowly walked towards Harley. She didn't turn her head to acknowledge him, but she knew he was sitting down next to her.

"How funny," Harley said through her tears, "Normally you're the one who cries after we talk."

"What happened?" Arnold asked ignoring her observation.

"Nothing. We just had a fight." Harley pulled her head up out of her arms and Arnold could see the makeup smeared on her face from the tears. But he also noticed something more jarring around her left eye."

"He hit you!"

"It's okay Arnold. He knows I can take it."

"You shouldn't have to take it. Why would he do that?" Harley took a deep breath.

"One of our guys saw me walk into that room with you. Mista J doesn't like uninvited guests. He was gonna kill you, but I told him you left already."

"That's no reason to treat you like that. Why are you with this guy? You deserve so much better than him."

"We love each other and he's what keeps me smiling."

"Really? Because I don't see a smile on your face. Back then, no one smiled more than you. I used to wonder what could possibly make you frown. Now I know."

"That's not true. He makes me happy."

"You seemed much happier before you met him. Maybe you're the one blind to reality." Harley paused for a moment.

"I can't just leave him. I belong to him."

"No you don't. You belong to a person who treats you right. You have that choice."

"Are you trying to convince me it's you?" Harley asked, "Because you're doing a damn good job." Harley leaned over and gave Arnold a passionate kiss.


	9. Chapter 9

"The Joker's going to kill us both for that," Arnold said.

"And I thought Ivy gave the kisses of death," Harley replied. Arnold noticed how much more joy was in her tone shortly after she was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Thank you Harley. This is somewhat embarrassing, but that was my first kiss."

"You must've been lucky in the Arkham showers then." Harley and Arnold laughed. Arnold then stood silent trying to say something he's been meaning to say for years.

"I…I don't think I have to tell you this. I mean, I think you already know, but…"

"I love you too Arny." Arnold's head rose up with joy and his sense of nervousness vanished.

"Then let's run away together. We can have those normal lives away from all this chaos and cruelty. We can be happy."

"I can't Arny. I'm with Mista J. We're too peas in a puddin'. I can't just leave him."

"You have every right to leave someone who treats you like that."

"He doesn't mean me any harm. He loves me." Arnold sighed.

"Okay," he slowly began. "I'm going to tell you something I've never told anyone. You know how I said I've been pushed around throughout my childhood. Well it was not just at school. My father did things that would even scare the bullies. I loved him, but I was scared of him. He usually took out his aggression on my mother. He would act like he loved her, and there's a chance he did. But she was miserable and I didn't have to courage to intervene. He convinced her that they belong together, but I knew she would be happy with a man who treated right. I think she knew it too, yet she had no more courage than me."

Arnold fought to hold back tears and Harley could see it in his face. She stayed silent for almost two minutes, now having her moment of clarity.

"You're right." Harley began to cry again. "He kills his henchmen constantly. I'm gonna be next. I can't stay like this."

"So please Harley, come with me. We can leave this life behind and be happy. It's our second chance – our new life." Harley lifted her head up from her arms again and looked Arnold straight in his eyes.

"Let's do it! We'll have the most adorable kids. But I just need a promise from you."

"Of course," Arnold replied. "What is it?"

"I need you to leave the puppet behind. If I'm going to accept reality, so are you. You have to face that Scarface is not real." Arnold paused, but not as long as either would have expected after that request.

"Okay, we have a deal. Let's leave tomorrow morning." Harley quickly gave Arnold a hug.

"Thank you! We'll be so happy together."

Harley and Arnold spent the next hour planning out their escape. They agreed to meet at the pier at noon, where Harley would bring a car and some money that she planned to steal from the Joker. Arnold slept in one of the offices at the chemical plant.

"Arny wake up," Harley urged.

Arnold opened his eyes and saw Harley's face in front of his. She had the perfect smile that he wanted to see until he dies. He was immediately reminded of what happened the previous night and was overjoyed to discover it was not a dream.

"Wakey wakey sleepy-head," Harley greeted.

Arnold looked at the clock. It almost 8:00 a.m. They planned for Arnold to wake up early and leave the chemical plant before anyone else would see him sleeping there.

"I should be a lot more tired," he said. Arnold got out of bed. He noticed Harley was holding something behind her back.

"I brought him for you." Harley revealed that she was holding Scarface. She handed him to Arnold. Harley previously agreed to bring Scarface back to Arnold so he could say goodbye to him before they leave. As soon as Arnold touched him, Scarface started shouting.

"Dummy, you shithead! You're gonna puss out with this dumb bitch! I'll…" Arnold quickly put his hand over Scarface's mouth.

"Terribly sorry," he said. "It won't happen again."

"I'm sure it won't honey," Harley replied. "I'll see you at noon."

Arnold left the building with Scarface and decided to sit on a park bench until he was ready to head to the harbor. The park was deserted.

"I've done everything for you!" Scarface yelled. "And this is how you repay me?"

"You've ruined my life!" Arnold retaliated. "You put me on this path."

"I gave you you're balls. I've protected you all your life. Now you're going to choose that psychotic whore over your only friend?"

"I'm choosing happiness over a life of crime."

Scarface chuckled. "You really think she'll give you happiness? You think she has any loyalty to you? Well I got news for you jackass! She doesn't!"

"What do you mean?" Arnold asked.

"They kept me upstairs in their bedroom. I heard them talk. The broad's not going anywhere. They're gonna meet you there and shoot your head off. It's a goddamn trap."

Arnold was speechless. He tried to convince himself that Scarface was not real, so he could be free of the puppet and move on with Harley. He wanted to believe everything she said.

"I don't believe you. You're lying."

"Dummy, you better stop giving me this attitude before I kill you first."

"No! You're not even real. You're all in my head."

"I'm more real than you are!" Scarface yelled in an angrier tone than Arnold has ever heard from him.

"You're not real! I'm going to the pier, and I'm gonna throw you into the river in front of Harley. I'm done with you!"

Arnold and Scarface exchanged no words for the next few hours. Shortly before noon, Arnold decided he was ready to head to the pier, so he walked there with Scarface. His stomach was in knots. He tried harder to convince himself that he was right and it would just be Harley waiting for him at the pier. Then he would throw Scarface in the water and live his happy life. Once he got to the pier, he saw exactly who was right.


	10. Chapter 10

"No…" Arnold gently whispered. His body stopped shaking and instead froze in horror. Standing in front of him was not Harley, nor was it henchmen with guns. It was Batman, standing still and silent.

"Where's Harley?"

"Not here," Batman replied.

"She was supposed to meet me here."

"That's not going to happen Wesker."

"Why not?" Arnold furiously screamed. He hasn't expressed that level of anger through his own voice in a long time. Scarface would always be the one to vent anger for him. But Scarface didn't want to run away with Harley – Arnold did. "We were just going to get away from a life of crime and rehabilitate ourselves. Isn't that what you want from us?"

"She had different plans. There were six gunmen working for the Joker waiting here for you."

"That doesn't mean she would betray me. Someone could have overheard our plans and told the Joker."

"I interrogated these men one by one," Batman revealed. "They all told me the same story. They were given orders by both Joker and Harley."

Arnold felt chills climb up his spine. He didn't want to believe it, but he couldn't convince himself that there was much of a chance that Batman was wrong. Scarface still refused to speak, but Arnold saw an expression on his face that said "I told you so".

"Why would she do that? She loves me." Arnold fell to his knees and starred at the ground.

"Because the Joker has twisted her mind beyond repair. She can't change. But you can."

Arnold looked back up at Batman, still sitting on the ground.

"I've looked into your case," Batman said. "It's clear that you're not a bad person. You just have a mental illness. You can work through it. You can move past your delusions of the puppet. I know you are capable of becoming a functional member of society. I can help you."

Arnold looked back down, holding his best friend and looking him right in the eye. He then stood up holding Scarface in his arms.

"I want to believe you, but I can't. I've tried again and again to live a normal life and it always ends the same way. I was a good kid and I was an outcast for it. Once I embarrassed my parents, they disowned me. And now the girl who pretended to love me just abandoned me. Everyone abandons me! I know you'll do the same. I can't count on anyone to stand by me. No one, except for Scarface. Throughout all I've been through, he's always been by my side. No matter how poorly he talks to me, I know he has done for me what no one else could. You can say he's not real all you want, but he's the only real friend I have. So no Batman, I won't accept your help."

Arnold turned around, facing away from Batman, and reached into his coat pocket. Batman walked towards him, ready to subdue him for the police. Once Batman got within arm's length of him, Arnold rapidly turned around and stabbed Batman in the thigh with a knife. He then ran away from the pier. Before Batman could chase him, they heard a speeding car run through a stop sign. Both Batman and Arnold looked and saw the Joker driving a convertible with the top down and Harley sitting in the passenger seat. Batman rushed to get in the Batmobile to chase them down.

Harley noticed Arnold standing by the pier, holding Scarface in arms and gazing at her. The two exchanged a look that substituted for parting words. Harley's expression told Arnold she was disappointed in him for going back to Scarface. But it also revealed that she was sorry for abandoning him. Arnold's expression told Harley that he was ready to move on from her, but he wishes he didn't have to. Harley could also tell that he was still baffled that she would abandon him. The Joker and Harley continued to drive off as Batman chased them, leaving Arnold free to escape.

"I guess you have a few marbles left in that melon of yours dummy," Scarface said.

"Yeah, I guess I do," Arnold replied. "I am so sorry Scarface. You were right about her."

"I was right about everything jackass! I told you I heard them planning to set you up and look what happened."

"I know. I promise never to defy you again. But what do we do now? Batman's going to come back for us."

"We'll fight him back," Scarface declared. "We'll start our own gang and be rich. We'll be strong enough to kill Batman, the Penguin, and the clowns."

Arnold wanted to question Scarface's plan since they had no resources to start a gang. But at that point, he wouldn't dare show any objection to his friend.

"Alright Scarface. We'll start a gang."

Arnold continue to walk away, holding Scarface. He then noticed a card fell out of his coat pocket. He picked it up and remembered that it was the playing card Harley gave to him with her phone number. He looked at the back side for the first time and noticed the message she wrote on the card. It read: Call me whenever you feel like Arny. I could talk to you until my mouth falls off. It was so great to see you again. Love, Harley.

Arnold briefly glanced at Scarface. He then crumpled up the card and threw it in the river. He made his final decision; he would be loyal to his one and only friend. The two continued walking away, still planning out their life of crime.


End file.
